Conduit electric railway



(No Model.) r

. B. JENNINGS.

CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 409,104. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.

yjalllllllllllIIlllllllllllllllll llllllll ALI/I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BYRON JENNINGS, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 409,104, dated August 13, 1889.

I Application filed December 4:; 1888. Serial No. 292,645. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BYRON JENNINGS, of San J ose', Santa Clara county, State of Oalifornia, have invented an Improvement in Conduit Electric Railways; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in electric railways; and it consists in a means for insuring a continuous electrical connection while allowing for the expansion and contraction of the electrical rails upon which the trolley or conducting wheel travels,

and in a means for securing and adjusting the brackets upon which said rails are supported.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective View show ing one section of the frame-work which forms the interior of the underground tube or tunnel, and also supports the rails upon which the cars travel. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the angle-irons forming the interior shape of the tube or tunnel, showing the manner of attaching the bracket which support-s the trolley-rails thereof. Fig. 3 is a view of the meeting ends of two of the electrical rails with the conductor.

This invention is an improvement in that class of electrical railways in which an underground conduit is employed with an electrical rail upon which a trolley or wheel travels to keep up a continuous electrical connection between the rails and the motor; and my improvement is designed to keep the electrical rail in perfect condition as a conductor, and to secure and adjust the brackets by which it is supported so as to keep it approximately parallel with the line of travel of the car and the motor.

A are the sections of the electrical rail formed in any suitable lengths, and having a groove or channel made in the upper surface, within which I fit a heavy copper or other conducting-wire B. The ends of my rails are united by fish-plates, as shown at 0, one of the rails being slotted so that the bolt which passes through its web passes through this slot and allows the rail to move by contraction or expansion. The ends of the rails are cut beveling or inclined, sothat the bottom portion or bases of the two adjacent rails are separated from each other more widely than the upper portion or heads of the rails, the space between the rails being of atriangular shape, as shown.

The fish-plates are secured to the rails by the bolts E passing through holes in the web of the rails, and there is also a bolt E passing across the space between the ends of the adjacent rails. The copper conducting-wire B is bent downwardly at the end of each rail, following the incline of the end a short distance, and then it curves around in an arc of a circle beneath and around the bolt E, and thence upwardly and along the top of the next rail, By thus bending the wire at an acute angle at the end of each of the rails I secure it firmly to each section of the rail, so that it will not become loosened or disarranged, and by carrying it downward in the curve vor are, as shown, there will be formed, by reason of this surplus, an elastic connection, which will maintain a perfect electrical conductor, while allowing the rails to spread or approach each other by contraction or expansion.

Any oxidization or other interruption which would. effect the ordinary iron rails will have no effect on my conductor, which is thus maintained continuously, the upper side being just flush with the top of the rail, so that the trolley-wheel will travel in contact with it.

F F are brackets which support the electrical rail, these brackets being formed, as shown, with a shelf, within which the insulator is fitted, the rails resting upon the insulator and having a protecting overhang or curve at the top. In order to secure and adjust these brackets so as to maintain the rails at a proper level or parallelism with the surface-track, I pass a single bolt G through the vertical portion of the bracket, and this bolt passes through the vertical slot between the angle-iron frames II, which give form to the sides of the tunnel. These angle-iron frames are separated from each other by the braces I, the inner ends of which braces are bolted between the angle-irons H, while their outer ends are secured to the angle-irons J of the frame, which support the surface rails K upon which the cars travel.

A washer L fits over the bolt G, and when the nut M is screwed up against the washer the head of the bolt G, bearing against the vertical portion of the bracket F, holds it firmly against the inside of the bracket, and the bracket rests against the broad surface of the angle-iron plates, so that it is firmly secured and supported.

Any vertical adjustment of these brackets can be made at any time by loosening the nuts M and raising or lowering the brackets, so that the rail. A is constantly kept in its proper position to maintain the electrical connection between itself and the motor.

llavingthus described myinvention, what I "claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An electrical rail having its upper surface channeled and having the ends beveled or inclined, as shown, in combination with a conductor fitting the groove or channel and bentdownwardly to form an are or curve between the adjacent ends of the rail-sections, substantially as herein described.

2. The electrical rail-sections grooved or channeled upon the top and having beveled or inclined ends with means for connecting and supporting said ends, in con'lbination with the conductor fitting the groove or channel in the rail-sections and bent downwardly at an acute angle about the ends of each. section, so as to bind and secure the conductor to the sections and to form an elastic intermediate curve, whereby expansion and contrac tion of the rail-sections are permitted without breaking the electrical conduction, substantially as herein described.

The electrical conducting-rail, with its supporting-bracket, in combination with the angle-iron frames forming the sides of the tube or tunnel, and the bolt G passing through the Vertical slot between the said frames, whereby the bracket is secured thereto and adjusted vertically, substantially as herein described.

4:. The electrical railway-conduit having the angle-iron frames II upon each side, the frames J, by which the surfacc-rails are supported, and the braces 1, extending therefrom and passingbetwecn the angle-iron frames II, in combination with the brackets whereby the electrical conducting-rails are supported, and the bolts G, passing through said brackets and through the slot or space between the frames H, whereby a vertical adjustment of the brackets and rails may be had, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

TRON JENNINGS.

Witnesses:

S. II. Nounsn, H. (1. LEE. 

